Missing 555 pound teen has been found
Source: Greenville County Sherriff's Office
Charges are likely to be dropped against the mother who ran with her son to avoid his chemotherapy treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Daniel Hauser, 13, had undergone one round of chemotherapy, but refused any more, citing religious beliefs. His mother, Colleen, agreed with his decision, as it followed the family's belief in natural healing, according to the AP.
Doctors charged the family with medical neglect and a judge agreed, ordering them to follow hospital recommendations. Hauser and her son then fled the state, and many believe they intended to find alternative medical attention in Mexico.
Now that the pair has returned voluntarily, the charges against Hauser will likely be dropped. The cure rate for Hodgkin's Lymphoma in children is about 90 percent, although without chemotherapy and radiation, doctors predicted Daniel would likely die.
Meanwhile, a woman in South Carolina was arrested today after being on the run with her 14 year old son. The son weighs 555 pounds, and a court had ordered that Jerri Althea Gray appear before the judge on charges of medical neglect. Medical authorities had determined that the teen needed medical attention and that his mother was not providing it for him.
The boy was ordered into state custody after his mother failed to appear in family court to answer the charges of neglect. The mother is now in a detention center, and she faces charges of violating a custody order, in addition to charges of medical neglect, according to CNN.
All this raises the question of what is the medical responsibility of a mother for her child? At what point does the state have the right to step in and force medical treatment, against the wishes of family? In each of these cases, the lives of the boys is clearly at risk without medical care. In both cases, my heart goes out to the boys, and I hope that their families are able to come to appropriate decisions about their medical care.
Sources: Battleboro Reformer and CNN
Read more: Warrant issued for mom that is refusing to treat son's cancer with chemotherapy
Comments
McGill Cancer Centre did 6 chemotherapy trials.
64 of 79 doctors would not consent to be in any trial containing Cisplatin – a common chemo drug.
58 of the 79 found that all the trials in question were unacceptable due to the ineffectiveness of chemotherapy & its unacceptably high degree of toxicity. Chemo only produces "temporary tumor shrinkage."
Chemotherapy usually doesn’t cure cancer or extend life, & it really does not improve the quality of life either.
It does do this -
# Pain
Wow! I try not to judge people, because I don't know their particular circumstances or situation...but when children are involved, It has to be in the best interest of the child...not the parent, nor the government or anyone else...the child. Who gets to make that determination is another story.
I hate to see children suffer!
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